AFSCME Launches Interactive Seven-Figure Campaign to Engage Young People of Color Ahead of 2020 Election

‘I AM – Be the Change’ will build on the legacy of Dr. King and the 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers

WASHINGTON — The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) today launched “I AM – Be the Change,” a bold effort to engage young African Americans and Latinos to answer the call of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers to be the change in their communities and fight for social and economic justice.

“I AM – Be the Change” builds on the groundswell of activism fueled by the I AM 2018 program, which led thousands of Americans in honoring the 50th anniversary of the historic 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike and the assassination of Dr. King. Through a national moment of silence, youth town halls, activist trainings and a march on Memphis uniting thousands of civil, faith and labor leaders and advocates, communities across the country committed to voting in the midterm elections and continuing Dr. King’s and the sanitation workers’ struggle for equal treatment, fair wages, and a voice on the job.

“I AM – Be the Change” seeks to expand on the successes of 2018, when voters elected a pro-worker majority in the House of Representatives, seven pro-worker governors and more pro-worker state legislators than at any time in almost a decade. The initiative will keep young people engaged by highlighting issues such as excessive student loan debt, lack of affordable housing and lack of good-paying jobs.

“‘I AM – Be the Change’ is meant to inspire young people of color to take action online and offline to drive change in their communities,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “We intend to create a year-round organizing presence in disenfranchised communities that are too often ignored after Election Day and to inspire black and Latino youth to reclaim Dr. King’s and the sanitation workers’ fight for civil rights and workers’ rights as their own.”

To open a conversation on the issues affecting the next generation, I AM will use Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to empower young people with the resources they need to stay politically engaged past Election Day. Additionally, AFSCME will build an online hub for civic and economic empowerment where community members can learn about the challenges facing working people, how to mobilize their neighbors and how to hold elected officials accountable – ensuring that organizing at the local level is led by those who know their communities the best.

AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.